Fire extinguisher construction



Aug. 17, 1943. c. K. HUTHslNG FIRE EXTINGUISHER CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INI/ENTOR /f #kf/5&5@

v/Q ATTORNE ya Aug. 17, 1943.

l C. K. HUTHSING FIRE XTINGUISHER CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 3, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY t2 y/ A TTORNE ys'.

.ciprocated through its packing Patented ug. 17,

. 2,326,861 Fianfnxrlnenlsnnn ooNs'rnUcTIoNf v charles x. nmnsmg; Grasse Pointe, Mich. Application Anges; 3, 1940, serial No. 350,681 Y Y scientist (o1. a99-fes) l v This rinvention relates toA a fire extinguisher -of the hand type and is a continuationv in part of copending United States application=Serial No. 240,892,l of Charles K. Huthsing, now patent No. 2,256,902,September 23, 1941. g

vThe main objectsv of'this invention are to pro.- vide a re extinguisher which is assured oi being in operable condition regardle'sspof thelength of time of non-use and which therefore can be dependednpon at all times in the event. vof emergency; to provide improved means for strippingk the fluid from thepiston rod vso as to prevent slight leakage or dripping when thefrodfgiiwsvre gaskets., and which means is resilient andryielding so asfto not become-frozen onthe rod vby corrosion during long periods oi non-use; to provide Va construction in which the Contact between the lugs and the flange portions by which the `'extinguisher is maintained in the position oflnonfuse is reduced to a` line contact, thus preventing faces are rotated-vvhi1ebeing axially compressed Y under spring tension ,during non-use of the exy tinguisher with thepresult that it is impossible y' for 'the fluid to 'n leak or4 evaporate out of the reservoir. i Y. y

lAnother probleml encountered inthe' use of the seizing and freezing likely where there vis an area to area contact; and to provide -afconstruction which ispanic proofin .that the handle A maybe turned` either Way to release its i An illustrative .emlooaliment-1` of this `rnlention is shownY in the accompanying idravvings,` in

which:

, Figfl is ,a longitudinahmedialcsectionalview,

`With the middle broken 01111.01? are extinguisher embodying the .new improvements;

Fig. 2 is a sectionalview taken on the the arrows;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional vievvofrthe' `lower end of the pumping' cylinder shovvingthe sliding piston ina position on thezp" tonanod opposite to' .that shown in-.Fig.1`; l.; .f Fig. 4 is a sectional viewl taken onthez'line 4--4 of Fig. '5;' Y. Y. 1 f 1,-; Fig. V5 is' an enlarged, fragmentary, .medialsectional View .of the improved lffire extinguisher of Fig. 1, lookinglinvthe':direction,indicatedfby` V Ishowing the details Vof `constructioniofthe'piston Y rod .packing glands and `sealingvmeans and s Fig. 6 Ais an enlarged,.'tragmentaryiside'relevation of the axially slidable sleeve :showing a *portioniof the cylindrical sleeve `oi--tlie'lovver lextension 'of the handle `and showing ai portionv of` the `cap and .ange portions thereof'. in broken lines. 1 i

.t Y Y. ,I .l The important problem `ci the reextinguisher manufacturer .is to 'make anapparatus Whichis. l

leak-proot'when the extinguisher isv not inuse andY at the same time :havean extinguisher which Y unquestionably will operate immediately, when atall; Y, f With respect to sealing the reservoirA against y .lin'e contact. 5 v i an emergency of fire arises. fIt is, vof course, self-evident that a fire extinguisher fronfiY which Y v the ilre extinguishing iiuid .has leaked or=evap, orated out or a reextinguisher which frozen and will not operate in vcaseloij an emergency are both worse than` having no rr'e extinguisher evaporation during non-use, this improvedfextinguisher is provided'gwithVY-a springpressed seal in which the `complementary contacting sealing with'the result that 'anyvdirt or foreignA matter on the contacting facejof the sealing parts is,` ground into the faces or displaced so that very effective seal is secured which is ymaintained re extinguishershaving felt packing glands for the piston rod has beengt-hat `of the-Huid adhering to the .piston rod as it is drawn through the gaskets andthen dripping oli in the hands of the user during'the pumping strokes. z. l

YIn the present invention Ythis objection has been overcome by having the helical'compression spring',V which compresses the rod gaskets; vlit 'i i tightly around the rod,- soA that v;it{ acts as ia re-Y silientiy gripping fluid stripper. Duel, toftlie yieldabiltyr of the'spring;V it lmay have-Sag srl-ug ft. around ,thel rod, butvvill not freezetheretov by corrosion.

, Another diiculty in the operation of lire ex` tinguishers ofthistyperhasarisen because ci Y the means yemployed Vto maintain the parts in i` the relative positionof non-use. Insaidrneans l it has been the. practice .to employV two cooperating'camsurfaces having a substantially area to .area'contact`.` Because of the'inherengtly corrosive natureof liquids used in fire extinguishers, there has .often been corrosionni these 1 cooperating cam surfaces yresulting in their freezing 'or seizing in suchjamanner that the 'effective 'use of the' extinguisherQ-is either delayednor completely prevented. A

In the' present Yinventi'onthis been overcome by providing a cons-traction 4in which the engagementbetween the elements 'co-Y Joperating to maintain the :parts intherelativelimited to iasulsvstan-tallyv position of non-use is In the-.construction shown in the draivingsg a cylindrical reservoir `5 has lan integrally Vformed A y "openings lIlIV and |52.

otherwise rigidly secured a nozzle iitting 1, hav-- irng an axially disposed discharge opening ing nt with a piston rod I4 which is'siidable' therethrough. The outer axial face of thesleeve II forms a sealing face i3 which coacts with an annular ring gasket I5 carried by an annular I6 which is rigidly brazed or The sealing member otherwise secured to the piston rod iii.

member-l5comprises an axially extending cylindrical skirt portion'lT which einbraces'and carries the gasket I5, and van'oppositely extending cylindrical sleeve portion I8, the axial end ci whichrterminates in an exteriorly threaded end I9. `A handle`2, having an axially extending hollow shank 2|, is threaded on the end i9 in abutting relationship against a shoulder oi the sleeve I8, to limit and position the parts,

An axially slidable sleeve 22v surrounds the annular sealing` member I6 Yand piston rod I4 in spaced relation 'thereto and the upper end is provided with a radially disposed, inwardly extending flange 23 l'whichis freely slidable on the sleeve portion I8 of the annular sealing member I5. A helicalcompressionspringMis provided in the space between the fixed sleeve `I8 and the slidable sleeve 22 and bears between the sealing member I6 and the-flange 23 of the` sleeve 22.

The lower end of the slidable sleeve -22 is profvided' with ydiametrically opposed radially extending lugs 25 and 26, each having two carn surfaces on their outer axial faces.. Thetwo cam surfaces on each lug have reverse slopes fourning high points at'the centeroteach lug as shown at IGI! in Figure 6. `The sleeve 22, flange 23, and lugs 25 and 26 comprise a. unit hereinafter referred to as a cam member.A The outer axial faces of these lugs engage the ila-nge portions 21 and ZBintegrally-forrned on the cap 9, said high kpoints ISE) of these faces', entering. the Said openings lili and I02 are preferably shaped to provide relatively 'sharp corners which engage the cam surfaces of the lugs 25 and 28 as shown at I53and i3d in Fig. 6,thus providing a substantially line-to-line contact.-

present invention is intended to include other constructions whichprovide'the desired line-toline contact, such as straight cam surfaces and round corners, or rounded cornersV on the flange and a vcooperating portion of the cam .surface reversely rounded so as to provide a substantially line-to-line contact therebetween.1 The lugsfare depressed axially while in the positionxshown in Fig. 4 at |05 and |65 and then rotated in either direction to the position described above. Thisvoonstruction eliminates the possibility of corrosion and freezing which exists where van area-to-area contactis employed.

The lower end of the hollow shankll is flared out to provide a cylindrical sleeve 3i Ywhich surrounds the axially slidablesleeve ,22 and whichl r lower end 6 in the centerv of which is bra-Zed or is provided with diametrically opposed axially extending inwardly presenting slots 32 and 33 which receive similarly disposed vribs 34 and 35 respectively which are integrally formed on the slidable sleeve 22 whereby the sleeve and handle are nonrotatably secured while permitting relative axial movement therebetween.

The hollow shank 2I of the handle 20 is provided with an axially extendingbore 36 in which is housed aV helical compression spring31', one end of Ywhich abuts the blind end of the bore 36 and the other end of which contacts an axially slidable floating seal 38, the inner face of which nts Although this construction is preferable and advantageous, in its broader aspects the,

upon and closes one end of a discharge tube 49 when the handle is in closed position, as shown The opposite end of the discharge tube 4U is rigidly mounted in the inwardly projecting end extending sleeve portion V4I of afitting- 42 which is providedv with an oppositely extending cylindricalsleeve portion 43 which has a free sliding nt on thejpiston rod I4. The space between the piston rod AI4 andthe sleeves I2 and 4I is provided at its upper endwith a felt gasket 44, a cork washer I45, and a brass washer 45 bearing thereagainst. The gasket'44 is-constantly urge'd'in compression around the piston rod I4 by'a helical compression spring 46, which snugly surrounds and yieldingly grips the rod I4, so as to'strip the fire extinguishing fluid from the rod during reciprocation thereof. One end of the compression spring '46 bears against the washer 45 andthe other end thereof bears against a similar but Msmaller washer 41 which nts against a felt gasket ring 48 disposed atthe other end of the space, thus providing a double yieldingseal around the piston rod which is automatically tensioned at all times andv which prevents substantialleakage of uid aroundthe piston rod during its reciproca- 1 tion when subjected to pumpingA action.

The piston rod I4 is surrounded by a pumping cylinder 49, one end of whichis'fixed to a rotatablehead 50 andthe otherv end of vwhichis similarly xed infaz rotatable head 5I. .A portion of ...the lower-endet the pumpingv cylinder 49 adjacent to the head 5I is of enlargeddiametenas in- Vdicatedat 52, and constitutes` one ofthe main end 53 of a tubular nipple 54. 1Thenipple54,adjacent the end 53, has an annular shoulder 55 whichserves as one limit stop forzan'axially slidy able piston 56 whichis'carried on the nipple 54.

Thelpiston 5E is loosely retained` on Vthe nipple .'54f'by an'. interiorly =threadedcap 51. whichvis screwed onto the exteriorlyA threaded? lower, end of .theY nipple 54 and which carries Aa packing 58 therein retained by a thin washer 59. Y

The circumferentialWorkingiaCe of theypiston 56 is provided with an ,outwardly upresenting peripheral groove which carries va pair of yielding or resilient felt packing rings 60. The` sizes offthe piston 56, packing rings 60, enlarged cylin- .1 der. 'end 52 and cylinder 49 are such that thepacking rings 60 rare-compressed and,..have:a snug .working tn the smallerdiameter of thepump- I ing cylinderand are free from radial compresaie'zeei the pumping Vcylinder 49 into thev hollow piston I rod I4 from whence it can pass into the upper end of the discharge tube 40 and thence :out through the discharge nozzle opening'iandcompriseapertures'Sl and 62 in that-partei the nipple 54 which is'surrounded by the rpiston45. The apertures are so positioned that on the-upstroke of the piston rod the piston, when resting against the axial end face of the nipple 5l, will uncover the'openings BI so that iiuid may pass thereinto,and upon 'the downstroke, when the vpistonl is abutting against the shoulder 55, -as shown in Fig-4, the fluid Vwill enter through the Vapertures 52. A by.. pass port 63 is'provided forpermitting part'of the fluidvwithin the hollow Ypiston rod tor pass back Yinto the pumping cylinder-49 to help fill the same on the'downstroke of the pump when the suction froml the reservoir may not-quite ll the pumping cylinder'49. k

The head 58 which supports the upper vend of the pumping cylinder 4H is Vprovided with a felt Apacking ring or gasket v64 which is retained by a krelatively thin brasswasher l55 secured on an annular radiall'y'extending seat by rollingover the metal at the edge of the opening which receives the washer, Aas shown at 66.v The inner edge rof the washer 65 rides upon the outer suriaoefo'fV the axially extending sleeve 'poritionf43 which serves as abearing for supporting Vthe upper endofV the suction mechanism and which bearing, having relatively-small metal to Ametal contact,w`i1l`have a minimum-of tendency-to stick and presentrvery Vlittle friction to rotation "of the head, thuspro- 1 viding a structure which will :have-freedom vfrom VJfreezing by reason of corrosionor the like.4

The head 50 is provided'witha laterally extend- `Ving weighted Vann-*having 4passagewaysV therethrough-'with '-ball check :valves which serve as ,Y suction ports for the pumping cylinder. The upper gend` ofthe 'cylinder 'fidi` communicates lwith a Y* radially extending port Gli-controlled by ball valve 68 which leads to'an axially-extending passageway 68, one end f which isg'controlled'byla ball Acheckyalve '10 and whichiin wturn' communicates with afsecond radially extending port "l1, the

fouteropen lendet which lies closely-adjacent to, Ythe iinner peripheral Ywall of jthe `reservoir 5. The' "end of the passageway v'69 lopposite yto vthe'loall Vcheck valve 1U communicatesv with an axiallyextending tube 12,' the upper end'of vwhich isfrigidly `Asecured inaxial alignment therewith, and the op Yposite end of which is similarly secured to and" communicates witlr'anaxially-extending passage- Vway 13 formed-'in thelaterallyextending weight The IlowerY end of karm -of the vhead member h the passageway T3 is likewise provided'with aball check Valve 14 .which controls jcon'i'municationbetween the'passageway 'I3-and a radially'extending port V15, the outer Vopen -end-of-which vlies closely L' adjacent to the interior wall of theV lcylindrical reservoir 5.

A -metal .rodv '55 is housed -within the tube V'l2 -andfunctionsto -tap the ball check ivalves 'lll or T4' off of their respective Iseats when 4the fire extinguisher is inclined.- feither '-upwardly" or v downwardly, as the Acase maybe, thus insuring free Communication forthe-passag-e of iuidy from ispaced relation Tto the dischargetube Y40. Yandis provided withy a :relatively 'tl'iinfjbrass washer l "19, the-inner edge of yw'lfiich'rides upon the tube 453 -andfservesas a bearing-furthe headi'lwhich` has relatively little friction and thus :permits free rotation of the head witlirespect 1to. the

tube 49. A felt packing gasket Bil is'` interposed between the axial-*face of thewasher vISI-'and the opposed 'axialface-of the discharge-nozzle iitting` Y Violpreventin'g `substantialz leakage of 'fluid thereof,V it being understood that when 'the piston rod is pushed downwardly, asviewe'dinFig.; l n v ofthe drawings,}thefrictionbetween the piston packing 550 and the interior wall ofthe pumping cylinder49 will tend to' Vslide 'the-:entire suction unit, comprising theheads 5i! yand 5| and pumping cylinder 49 and suctiontube 12,-downwardly againstthe packing 80 'and tightly compress it so asto prevent leakage of fluid. .fiikewise duringv the upstroke, the entire'suction assembly of` the .fluid Yentrapp'ed within the pumping 'v-a fluid tight eective seal is maintainedatlall,v

times which will 'preventleakagezor evaporation kroem.

In thefoperationof this iire extii'igliishen;` the i f reservoir'is lled with iire extinguishing .fluid throughran vopeningin the head 9 (not shown) in `the usual manner.` During non-use of lthe rejextinguisherfthe camV lugs 25 and '26 are engaged under the' inturnedv anges 2l and 28,

thus vcoi-np'ressing'thefhelical.spring 24 between p the yradiallyv extending inturned flange 23" and 7 theE annular vsealingmember It which is 'brazed vto the lpiston Y rod i4, thus-,compressing I the gasket l5 between the sealing'inember-I and.

theouter axial face 13. of 'the sleeve Il. Thus of the fluid within the reservoinpa'st or rthrough theopening in the sleeve Il 'around `the piston when thehandle is lin the foregoing described closed-and sealed position, the lower face l39 of ythe floating'seal 38 i'svtightlypressed against the upper end of discharge tube 4i) by fthezhclical compression spring 13'Lthus preventing any Yleakage orevaporation of fluid through the discharge I' L tube v and nozzle opening .801" the'. apparatus.

`When itis desired to operate `the...:f iIe-fex-, tinguisher, .the reservoirport'ion '5..i's grasped @in one hand the handle 2!)A inthe other, .and lthe handle rotated relatively to the reservoir, in either direction, until the. cam lugs 25"and `26 spring from'j'und'er the iiange portions .21 and 2'8,

- atwhich time the'handle` is free to move axially.

Inasmuchas the'felt`pist`on packing rings BIJ have-been in the enlarged end 52 ofthe pumping cylinder 49 during ,"'non-use fof the .fire extinguisherlthese packing rings willhave remained within their original size, .and when drawn 'up 'into that part of the pumping cylinder 49 having the smaller diametergwill make a tightttherein which will .preventslippage of fluid past .thejpiston. The 'piston =56"is Vmade of smallerdiameter than :the interioridiameter o'ilthe pumping cylin- During -theV upstroke of the Vpiston lrod,-.lt`he pistonl56 willride upon..fthe.axial end face-1.0i

The neas-ei amt's'rio'we'r end 151m slightly' -thjegnipple 51 thus uncoveringv theV openings V6I and permitting iluid from the pumping cylinder `49 to pass through said openings into the hollow piston `rod Ill-,- thence upwardly toward the handle and into the openvupper end of discharge tube 110Y which has been uncovered and unsealed .by withdrawal of the handlel; During this upward strokeA ofthe pistonthe huid which is in the pumping cylinder 49 is prevented from .passing out around the piston rod I4 through the head 5l]v by reason of the stripping action of the spring 4S andthe resilient felt packing rings 4'If,148 and 64.1. During such upward stroke fluid is drawn intothe lower end of the pumping cylinder Ml through the, port 'I1 around the ball check valvey 1,8, it being understood ofcourse that iluid is drawn in and fills the passageways 69, tube, 'I2land passageways 'I3 either through the radially extending ports II or I5 depending upon the position of the fire extinguisher. If the discha-rge end of the extinguisher is pointed down,

then the ball check valve will rest upon its seat, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and

the rodYIG Will tap the ball check valve 'M off ofits seatand thus open communication through the intake port l5. Conversely, if the discharge end of the extinguisher is pointed upwardly, the ball valve 'I4 will rest upon its seat and the rod 'I6 will tap the ball check valve I0 o of its seat and thus provide suction opening through the port 1I. v n

f When therpistonghas reached the upperrlimit of its stroke it is then forced downwardly b y pushing in of the handle at whichtime the axially slidable 'piston 5 5 abuts against the shoulder 55 o f the nipple threaded on to the end `of the pistonrod Ill and thus opens communication to the interior of the piston rod I4 through the radial ports 62. As the iluid is forcedinto vthehollow piston rod I4 and thence out through f A the discharge tubell a portion of it is ley-passed through the port 63 and. into `the pumping cylinder 49 on thegdownstrcke, as it has been found 'that during this ,downstroke it is at times desirable to supplement the fluid being brought in through the port'i around the check valve B.

During the downstroke of the piston, the friction `between the packing rings 60 and interior wallof the pumping cylinder 119 carries the entire suction assembly axially downward, as viewed in' Fig; 1, sogas to compress the gasket 8S and thus prevent leakage of fluid'from the 'lower end of the pumping cylinder around the discharge tube 1Q which would otherwise occur by reason of the substantial clearance between` the outside of the' tight sealing t with the interior wall of theV `pumping cylinder 49 when drawn up into the smaller diameter portion thereof which isv the substantial pumping length of the cylinder.

It will also be ,equally evident that when the handle2 is forced downwardly so as to ccm-,

press the spring 31,1the floatingseal .38g will'eiectivelyclose the upper end of the discharge tube 40 and prevent evaporation or leakage of the fluid -thereintd When the cam lugs and r2S are rotated underneath the flanges 2l and` 28, the

against said sealing. face.`

sliding sleeve 22 y-vvill move axially downwardly toward the'head-l, as-shown inFig. Ilk ofthe drawings; thus compressing thespring 24 which yieldinglyfholdsvthe annular'se'ali'ng'rnember I6 Vandgasket Iutightly upon the's'ealing faceA I3 ofthe sleevememberll. A .It isto bev particularly noted that during this latter closure'fthe's'ealing member I6fcarryin'g the packing gasket I5 is not only axially compressedV cn-its cooperating sealing seat, but `by reason'o'f the member I5 being-secured tothe piston rod I4 and hence rigid with the handle 2 0, the contacting surfaces of the sealing members are rotated rwith respect to each other, thus grinding out any dustor foreign matter 4vvl'ii'ch ymay be on their contacting faces and effecting asuperior seal at this point somewhat analogous to Iafrotated grinding fit of the contacting faces.

The cylindricalsleeve portion i2y is provided withva plurality ofaxially extending -slots or notches, S9 .through which* 4the uid that is stripped fromv'the piston rod Iii may returnto tiielrinterior of the reservoir. Y I

.Although but one specific'embodiment of this invention has been hereinshown and described, it will be. understood that numerous details ofthe Aconstruction shown may be altered or omitted Vwithout departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claimen; -V

I claim:

la; In-a fire extinguisher, a reservoir Afor fluid,

a piston rod extending into.. said reservoir, a handle rigid with respect tosaid rod, an annular sealing member rigidly secured to said rod, a

rcomplementary annular sealing face on said reservoir, an axially slidable,` non-rotatable sleeve on said rod, a compressionspring bearing between said annulark sealing member and said sleeve and coasting interengaging-portions on said reservoir and sleeve for compressing said spring to yieldingly urge. said vannular Ysealing vmember 12. Ina lire extinguisher, a reservoir. for uid,V a piston rod extending Vinto said V* reservoina handle rigidV .withfrespect to said-rod; an`.anriu, 1

lar sealing member rigidlv'yusecured toV saidrod,ra complementary.- annular sealing face on 'said reservoir, an axially slidable, non-rotatable` sleeve on fsaid rod surrounding saidviannularfsealing member in spaced relation -to said rod, a compression spring housed in saidf'spa'ce *and` bearing -between said annularfs'aling member'and said sleeve .and coact'nfg interengaging .portions on said reservoir and sleeve vfor compressing said spring to 'a yieldingly urge'saidannulap sealing member against-,said sealing.face

3. In a lire extinguisher, a reservoir for fluid, a piston rod extending into saidA reservoir; a handle rigid with respect tosaid rod, an annular sealing v member rigidly vsecuredv to said rcda complementary annular sealingJfaceon-said reservoir, an axially ,slidable, non-rotatable sleeve on said rod, a compression spring bearing-between said annular sealing member .ands'aid 4. In a vfire extinguisher, a reservoir for.fluid,j

a piston rod extending into said reservoir, a handle fixed on said piston rod, an annular sealin?,f member rigidly secured to said rod, a complementary annular .sealing face on said reservoir, an axially slidable, non-rotatable sleeve surrounding said rod,A a compression spring bearing between said annular sealing member and said sleeve, coacting interengaging portions on said reservoir and sleeve for compressing said spring to yieldingly urge said annular sealing member against said sealing face, a cylindrical skirt on said handle surrounding said slidable sleeve, and interlocking connections between said sleeve and skirt whereby said sleeve is non-rotatable with respect to said skirt andY is axially slidable withv respect thereto.

5. In a lire extinguisher, a reservoir havin,r`

an end member provided with an aperturetherethrough, a handle mem-ber movable toward and away from said end member and rotatable with respect thereto, a piston rod connected to said y `handle member and received through said aperture, and means for releasably securing said handle member with respect to said end member, said last-named means comprising a lug ccnnected to one of said members and having a high point intermediate its ends and a sloping cam surface between said high point and each of said en-ds of said lug, and a flange connected to the other of said members having a recessv formed therein adapted to receive said high point, said recess being shaped to provide corners which face said cam surfaces, the construction and arrangement of said corners with respect to said cam surfaces being such Ythat there is line to line contact therebetween when said handl-e member is secured with respect to said end member.

6. In a re extinguisher, a reservoir having an end member provided with an aperture therethrough, a handle member movable toward and away from said end memberand rotatable with respect thereto, a piston rod connected to said handle member and received through said aperture, and means for releasably securing said handle member with respect to said end member, said last-named means comprising a lug connected to one of said members-and having a high point intermediate its ends and a curved camsurface between said high point and each of said ends of said lug, and a flange connected to the other of said members having a recess formed therein adapted to receive `said high point, said recess being shaped to provide relatively sharp corners which face said cam surrecess and of said corners with respect to said cam surfaces being such' that vsaid corners engage said cam surfaces in substantially line to li-ne contact when said handle member is secured with respect to said end member. Y

'7. In. a re extinguisher, a reservoir having an end member provided with an aperture there-y through, a handle member movable toward and away from said end member and rotatable with respect thereto, a piston rod connected tol said handle member and-received through said aperture, a-nd means for releasably securing said handle member with respectto said end member, said last-named means comprisingalug connected to one of said members and having a high point intermediate itsv ends and' similar sloping cam surfaces between said high point and each of' said ends of said lug, and a flange con-` nected to the other of said members having a recess formed thereinadapted to receive said high point,V said recess being shaped to provide similar corners Vwhich facev said cam surfaces,

the construction and arrangement of said recess andof said corners with respect to said cam sur-` faces being suchthat said corners engage said leither direction withrespect to said end member. v

8. In a lire extinguisher, a reservoirmember, a piston rod handle member, an annular seal on one ofY said mem-bers, a complementary annular seat on the other of said members, a double-faced cam member axially slidable but non-rotatably mounted on said piston rod handle, a segmental fla-nge on said reservoir for cO-operatively engagingwith said cam by rotary movement Aof said camfin either direction, and a compression spring acting between said cam and sealwhereby said spring is compressedA and said seal is pressed against saidseat when and as said cam is engaged with said flange, said flange being unobstructed at both ends so that said Vcam may beA faces, the construction and arrangement of said"y 

